http://www.nairaland.com/realist-kem Our politician who we elected in public places , has looked down on the masses , act inpuinitvely as pleases , recently the cordinating minister of the economic proff okonji iweala gathered civil society group , in her address she said unemployment rate is @ 37 percent , the question is where did she get her statistics or is she giving us world bank statistics which she represents………………………… Clique on the link and read in details

the people of Niger/delta produce and sustains the nations economy,but remains the most under developed, olobiri which was the first place where exploration started has no infrastructure to show for it,and the same situation applies to sisters communities
During the yar-adua administration he decided to come to terms with the youths who bear arms in the name of the N/D struggle ,thereby forgetting the intellectuals who decided to use diplomacy
Nigeria is the only country where crude oil theft is prevalent,vadalization,and sold without due process who are the people behind all this oil bunkery is the so called aristocrat
The so called leaders of the struggle collected amnesty with d exception of asari dokubo , rugged peter,etc
But what is the plight of the there followers? What is the plight of the region ? Has it improved?
The question is no because the so called generals have enriched them self, just last month innocent police men were shot down in bayelsa by the group Young shall grow as a means to express there anger ,this have prove to my theory of baff a pig dress a pig , a pig is a pig.
N/D struggle the aim has been defeated that’s not what Jasper adaka boro intended , boyloaf ,fara,asari,father(ateke)all fought for selfish reasons
Am drawing there attention of the naïve youth who are used by this selfish leaders AMNESTY after how many years is still not gazzieted
And nothing is being don to gazziet it , My question is what is the motive ?

A 125-year-old woman, said to be one of the oldest women in India, died at her home in Orissa, her family said Sunday. Fulla Nayak claimed that smoking cannabis every day was her secret to long life.
Fulla Nayak, a resident of Kanarpur village in the coastal district of Kendrapada, died of age-related complications Saturday.
According to her 72-year-old grandson, Fulla was 125. But as per a voter photo identity card issued by the government in 1995 she was 120 years.
The grand old woman lived in a small mud-walled thatched house in Kanarpur, about 25 km from the district headquarters. She is survived by two of her four daughters and around two dozen relatives.

Her eldest daughter, Jamuna, 92, lives in the same village. Her husband died at the age of 50.
Fulla was in the news when her grandson Narayan Nayak claimed last week that she could be the oldest woman living in the world. He had said that he would write to the Guinness book authorities to record the claim.
Fulla was known for her love of smoking ganja and cigars and palm juice. She also loved steaming hot tea.
She had never suffered any debilitating ailment throughout her life. Except for her weak eyesight, Fulla maintained good health and used to walk without support.

http://www.nairaland.com/1323342/comparism-bank-nigeria-democracy-since. In leu of celebrating MKO laying his lyf for democracy
Can we say dat the inpuinitive lifestyle of our leaders from presidents, Governors, LGA chairmens .
But our main focus hear is to point out the major achievements of each Government ,its uniqueness,its challenges
and advices to the present Government to further strengthen our democracy, Obasanjo,yar adua,and Goodluck Jonathan
Ur criticism and appraisal is welcome.

As a graduate of History , it saddened me when the leader of mushuod abiola family , reteirated the fact that he(ibb) wasn’t the 1 who killed abiola.abiola was killed by the military under the leadership of IBB ,abiola laid his lyf for democracy to stand despite coercion for him from the military juanta
I urge the abiola family to witdraw the statement, cos abiola will weeping and disappointed @ his family.
He was a martyr and a hero , and his memories still lives ,MKO ‘s name have been supress by past regimes but Thankgod for Jonathan’s administration
JUNe 12 9ja freest and fairest election observed by international observer .may his soul rest in peace

I’m not going to assume and say she was drunk when she came on stage to perform at the Kukere concert in London last night, but she definitely behaved odd. She said something about not wanting to wave because her armpit wasn’t shaved and kept mouthing off until she fell.

A Saudi prince has launched a defamation lawsuit against Forbes magazine in a U.K. court for placing him too low on its annual list of the world’s billionaires, the Guardian newspaper has reported.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal claims the U.S. business publication was off by $9.6 billion US when it calculated his net worth at $20 billion, placing him 26th on the 2013 list of billionaires instead of in the Top 10 where he felt he belonged. This year’s list, published in March, had a total of 1,426 names of people on it, whose aggregate net worth is $5.4 trillion US.

Alwaleed argues in a claim filed in a high court in London that by not allotting him the ranking he feels he deserves and by claiming in its coverage that his own assessment of his net worth and that of his business, Kingdom Holding Company, is overblown, Forbes damaged his reputation.

The Guardian reported that court documents name the Forbes publisher, the magazine’s editor and two Forbes journalists as defendants in the defamation suit.

The prince alleges that the U.S. publication’s assessment of his company is also indicative of a general bias against Saudi firms and Middle East investors.

Prince has long history with Forbes
The lawsuit is only the latest salvo in the billionaire’s war of words with the magazine. In March, Forbes published an extensive article outlining the prince’s long relationship with the magazine and spelled out why it felt the prince was exaggerating his net worth and why the share price of Kingdom Holding Company, which owns stakes in NewsCorp., Apple, eBay, PepsiCo, several hotels and other major companies, did not seem to reflect the company’s true value.

The magazine detailed a pattern that repeated itself several years in a row whereby Kingdom Holding Company’s shares would rise steeply in the weeks prior to the date Forbes used to evaluate the assets of the contenders for its billionaires list.

“Kingdom Holding shares began what seemed a miraculous rebound in early 2010, rising 57 per cent in the 10 weeks prior to the February date that Forbes used to lock in values for that year’s billionaires list, as Citigroup shares fell about 20 per cent,” the magazine wrote.

“In the 10 weeks before Forbes locked down its [2011] list, Kingdom Holding shares rose 31 per cent while the Saudi index was up three per cent and the S&P 500 was up nine per cent over that same period.… It happened yet again in 2012, when Kingdom shares climbed 56 per cent during the 10 weeks prior to mid-February while the Saudi market was up just 11 per cent, and the S&P 500 was up nine per cent.

Bias allegation ‘has no basis in reality’
The magazine said it found it difficult to reconcile the company’s share performance with the company’s “underlying assets or the fundamentals,” especially as its “annual reports and financial statements in recent years failed to provide the names of the stocks or holdings the company currently owns.”

The company’s chief financial officer, Shadi Sanbar, defended Kingdom Holding Company’s annual reports by reportedly telling the magazine, “We are not a mutual fund, and there is no requirement whatsoever that we disclose to anyone the share makeup of our portfolio.”

Prince Alwaleed, left, liked to tout his relationships with the rich and powerful, Forbes reported, often alluding to his friendships with celebrities and politicians, like France’s former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, right. (Eric Feferberg/Reuters/Pool)
Alwaleed himself told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper in mid-March that Forbes’s suggestions that he was manipulating the markets to inflate the value of his company were “all wrong” and that he would “fight it all the way against Forbes.”

Sanbar went on the U.S. cable television network CNBC to decry Forbes’s methodology and to reiterate the allegations of bias against Middle East businesses. That prompted yet another response from the author of the previous article, Kerry Dolan, who according to the Guardian is named in the defamation suit.

She said the allegation of bias “has no basis in reality.”

“We have dozens of billionaires on the list from throughout the Middle East, and we are not getting complaints from other Middle Eastern billionaires,” Dolan wrote.

“Forbes will continue to include Prince Alwaleed on our billionaires’ list as long as our research shows us that his net worth is $1 billion or more. We do not need his co-operation to come up with a net worth number for him.”

Prestigious family pedigree
Alwaleed’s family pedigree runs deep in the power centres of the Middle East. He is the nephew of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and both of his grandfathers were instrumental political figures — one was the first prime minister of Lebanon and the other the founder of Saudi Arabia.

Over the 25 years that Forbes has been publishing its billionaires list, Alwaleed has shamelessly lobbied the magazine to give him what he believes is his due, the magazine reported. Forbes alleged Alwaleed has bombarded its journalists with lavish press material touting himself, his company and his links to the rich and powerful and has invited them to tour his opulent properties, which, as the March article detailed, include a 420-room palace and a 120-acre farm and resort “complete with five artificial lakes, a small zoo, a mini-Grand Canyon [and] five homes.”

“Of the 1,426 billionaires on our list, not one — not even the vainglorious Donald Trump — goes to greater measure to try to affect his or her ranking,” Dolan wrote in the March article.

The Guardian cited a Forbes statement in which the magazine said it stands by its story and cast suspicion on Alwaleed’s motives behind choosing Britain as the jurisdiction in which to launch his suit against the U.S. publication.

Forbes and some analysts suspect that Alwaleed might have chosen to launch his suit in Britain because the libel laws in that country put the burden of proof on the defendant. The country has long been criticized for making it too easy for individuals to allege defamation and squash free expression. “Libel tourists” have frequently chosen to re-launch suits in the U.K. that have failed in their own jurisdiction.

Under a recent amendment to Britain’s libel law, Alwaleed will have to demonstrate that he suffered “substantial financial loss” as a result of the Forbes coverage.

Abubakar Shekau uses the internet to send out his messages
Abubakar Shekau is the leader of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, which has carried out a series of deadly attacks across northern Nigeria. Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar from the BBC Hausa service looks at Nigeria’s most wanted man, who has been designated a terrorist by the US government.
The leader of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram is said to be a fearless loner, a complex, paradoxical man – part intellectual, part gangster.
Fondly called imam or leader by his followers, Abubakar Muhammad Shekau was born in Shekau village in Nigeria’s north-eastern state of Yobe.
Some say he is 35 or 36, others that he may be 44 – the uncertainty adds to the myths surrounding Nigeria’s most wanted man.
The US government has offered a reward of up to $7m (£4.6m) for information about his location.
Radical theology student
Mr Shekau was once thought to have been killed by security forces in 2009 – only for him to reappear in videos posted on the internet less than a year later as Boko Haram’s new leader.
The group’s founder, Muhammad Yusuf died in police custody, and hundreds of others were killed during that massive crackdown – which many blame for making the group even more violent.
Mr Shekau has not been seen in public since.
Instead, still images and video clips of him are released from time to time, mostly online, by the group’s faceless “public enlightenment department”.
Mr Shekau is said to have met his predecessor in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, and now Boko Haram’s headquarters, through a mutual friend, Mamman Nur.
Nigeria’s authorities say Mr Nur masterminded the August 2011 bombing of the UN office complex in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
All three were theology students – and Mr Shekau was seen as the quietest and perhaps the most radical of them.
“He hardly talks, he is fearless,” says Ahmed Salkida, a journalist with such good access to Boko Haram that, at one stage, he was suspected of being a member.
Under Mr Shekau, Boko Haram has become more radical and carried out more killings
He says he only escaped summary execution by Maiduguri police after an intelligence officer intervened.
“He is one of those who believes that you can sacrifice anything for your belief,” Mr Salkida says.
Mr Shekau is fluent in his native Kanuri, Hausa and Arabic languages – he does not speak English.
“I used to joke with him that he should teach me Arabic and I would teach him English,” Mr Salkida says.
When Mr Yusuf was killed, Mr Shekau is said to have married one of his four wives and adopted their children – perhaps, say sources who do not want to be named, to preserve Boko Haram’s cohesion or “purity”.
‘Chilling message’
The group has a highly decentralised structure – the unifying force is ideology.
Mr Shekau does not communicate directly with the group’s foot soldiers – he is said to wield his power through a few select cell leaders, but even then contact is minimal.
“A lot of those calling themselves leaders in the group do not even have contact with him,” Mr Salkida says.
Mr Shekau has neither the charismatic streak nor the oratorical skills of his predecessor – but he has an intense ideological commitment and ruthlessness, say people who study the group.
“He is the leader of the more militant wing of the group as testified by his aping of Osama Bin Laden in his video appearances,” says Abubakar Mu’azu from the University of Maiduguri.
Mr Shekau issued a chilling message in one of those appearances – which provides a major insight into what his leadership of the group will bring.
“I enjoy killing anyone that God commands me to kill – the way I enjoy killing chickens and rams,” he said in the video clip released just after Boko Haram had carried out its deadliest attack in so far in January 2012, killing more than 180 people in Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest city.
Mr Shekau is also the group’s spiritual leader – and, judging by video footage, he seems equally comfortable delivering sermons to his followers.
“He has a photographic memory and is well versed in theology,” Mr Salkida said.
He is nicknamed “Darul Tawheed”, which translates as a specialist in Tawheed. This is an orthodox doctrine of the uniqueness and oneness of Allah, which is the very cornerstone of Islam.
But Nigeria’s mainstream Muslim clerics do not regard Mr Shekau as a scholar and question his understanding of Islam – and regularly condemn the bombings and drive-by shootings committed by his followers against anyone who disagrees with them.

One of the reason why I love Germans is as a result of a famous quotations do not shake d Jew cos if u do they will mannerlessly shake your shoulder publicly
As a historian I remember the event that happened 20 December 2004 idris vs 50cent , the diplomatic roar between the two which the media propagated without collaboration of the incident before laying blame on idris that he was draging sit with a stranger ,if u look critically there must have been a racist attitude
On 9th of febuary 2013 Kim kadashian visited Lagos , warmly welcome by Fan ,well received but only to leave MMIA with a lot of derogatory coment about Nigeria and how she agrees with Scott that Nigeria girls look like apes,and how a whole my 9ja is disgusting,
Just over the weekend our own tuface idibia wedded in dubai thereby generating huge money which could have being added to 2013 internal generated, with the numbers of dignities and money spent on hotels going into billions
Let alone the money used in inviting these artists reach to call us APE . Apart from individual tours carried out by our artists have the city of detriot or los angelis ,Illinois ever done carnival and paid 9ja artists such money like the kind of money being paid by rotimi amechi in his carnival, or cross river carnivals
It shows the level of insensitivity bad governance by our leaders and artists ,imperilism have eaten into our fabrics .

A book claiming to be
the world’s first ‘gay
bible’ has been published
to coincide with the
debate on same-sex
marriageTitled the
‘Queen James Bible’, its
editors claim that it is a
re-working of the King
James Bible translated in
a way that ‘prevents
homophobic misinterpretation of God’s Word’.
‘Homosexuality was first overtly mentioned in the
Bible in 1946 in the Revised Standard Version.
There is no mention of or reference to
homosexuality in any Bible prior to this – only
interpretations have been made’, the book’s
official website said.

[color=redKING V QUEEN: BIBLES COMPARED[/color]

Genesis 19:5 (King James)
‘And they called unto Lot, and said unto him,
Where are the men which came in to thee this
night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know
them.’

Genesis 19:5 (Queen James)
‘And they called unto Lot, and said unto him,
Where are the men which came in to thee this
night? Bring them out unto us, that we may rape
and humiliate them’

Timothy 1:10 (King James)
‘For whoremongers, for them that defile
themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for
liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any
other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine’

Timothy 1:10 (Queen James)
‘For whoremongers, for them that defile
themselves, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured
persons, and if there be any other thing that is
contrary to sound doctrine’

Jude 1:7 (King James)’
‘Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities
about them in like manner, giving themselves
over to fornication, and going after strange flesh,
are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire’

Jude 1:7 (Queen James)
‘Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities
about them in like manner, giving themselves
over to fornication, and going after nonhuman
flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire’
The publication, printed and bound in the U.S. is
timed to coincide with the current debate over
same-sex marriage.
The sales pitch on the website says: ‘You can’t
choose your sexuality, but you can choose Jesus.
Now you can choose a Bible, too’.
The book is on sale online but does not advertise
its origins, with no specific publisher, editor or
translator listed by name on it’s offical website.
‘God’ is listed as the author and ‘Jesus Christ’ a
contributor.

Douglas J. Moo, Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies
at Wheaton College and a professional Bible
translator, told The Christian Post that the Queen
James editors’ assessment of past translations is
not entirely accurate.
‘Few, if any English translations use the actual
words ‘homosexuality’ or ‘homosexual.’ But the
history of English translation shows that versions
have consistently used other language to refer to
what we would call homosexual relationships’,
said Mr Moo.
‘For instance, the King James Version of Romans
1:27 refers to ‘men, leaving the natural use of the
woman, burned in their lust one toward another;
men with men working that which is unseemly.
‘It would be very difficult to deny that this
language, and the language found in many other
places in both the OT and the NT, refers to
homosexuality.’

A Vicar in New Zealand, meanwhile, has caused
outrage by putting up a poster outside his church
in Auckland, New Zealand, that claims Jesus was
gay.

‘It’s Christmas. Time for Jesus to come out’, the
sign proclaims, with an image of baby Jesus as a
toddler in a manger, surrounded by a rainbow
halo.
Reverend Glynn Cardy of St Matthew in the City
church, said that, as homosexuality was not a
word until the 1800s, any mention of it in the
Bible or other documents would have
mistranslations.
He points out that there is no indication about
Jesus’s sexuality: ‘The fact is we don’t know what
his sexual orientation was.’
His attempts at challenging the status quo were
defended by fellow Reverend Clay Nelson who
said the billboard tried to humanise Jesus by
getting people to think about the challenges he
would have had growing up.

He added: ‘Some scholars have tried to make the
case that he might have been gay.

‘But it is all conjecture. Maybe gay, maybe not.
Does it matter?
‘There is almost nothing in the record of his
teachings about sexuality while there is plenty
about the perils of being rich. Certainly he always
supported the marginalised in society.’

Sat 26 Jan 2013
The chairman of the Academic Staff Union of
Nigerian Universities (ASUU), RSUST chapter,
Hon. Felix Igwe has been reportedly kidnapped by
unknown men.
At the moment the university is yet to release
official information regarding the said “kidnap” of
Hon. Felix.
Myschool will update on this as the news unfolds.
Meanwhile we urge all RSUSites to pray for his
safe release.

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A five-story shopping center which crashed down early Wednesday, took 9 lives, according to Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organization, with 75 people people removed from the rubble with injuries. The building went up just nine months ago in a bustling suburb of Ghana’s capital.

It was part of the Melcom chain owned by Indian immigrant magnate Bhagwan Khubchandani.

The collapse trapped mainly staff of the company, according to Mr Arvinder Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Melcom Group of Companies.

Kate Adobaya, a spokeswoman for Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organization, blamed the building collapse on structural weakness.
“The foundation was not good enough,” she said, adding that crews worked in shifts through the night to search for other possible victims.

Family members could be seen at the site earlier in the day attempting to call relatives who could be trapped, while scores of rescue workers at the scene sought to clear debris and get oxygen masks to victims.

A man who saw his brother being put in an ambulance on a stretcher yelled out in agony: “He can’t move! He can’t move!”

The store sells a variety of cheap, imported household goods and appliances that are popular with working-class Ghanaians.
Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, who went to the site on Wednesday, has declared the collapse of the building a national disaster.

An 18-man rescue team from Israel is expected in Accra with special equipment and sniffer dogs, according to a statement from President John Dramani Mahama’s office.

CIA Director David Petraeus resigned from his post on Friday, citing the “extremely poor judgment” he showed in having an extramarital affair. Petraeus, 60, led US troops in Iraq and commanded American and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

CIA Director David Petraeus resigned his post as head of the nation’s leading spy agency on Friday, saying he had engaged in an extramarital affair and acknowledging that he “showed extremely poor judgment.”

In a letter to the CIA workforce, Petraeus, 60, said that he met with President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday and asked “to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position.”

“After being married for 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” he wrote. “Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.”

Obama, who was reelected to a second term on Tuesday, said in a statement that he accepted Petraeus’ resignation, praising him for his work at the CIA and for leading U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

‘Professor of War’ Petraeus Rolls Into Town, Armed With PowerPoint
Petraeus’ departure, sudden and unexpected, appeared to end the public career of a man who played a key role in the Iraq war, led the U.S. Central Command and commanded U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

It also threatened to usher in a period of instability at the CIA, which is grappling with a plateau in its budget after a decade of steady increases and is fending off questions about its performance before and after the attack that led to the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi, Libya.

Intelligence sources said that Michael Morell, the agency’s long-time deputy director, would serve as acting CIA chief for the immediate future.

Morell, who is well respected at both the White House and on Capitol Hill, had previously served as acting director following the departure of former CIA chief Leon Panetta.

Petraeus’ wife, Holly, has been an advocate for U.S. veterans and head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

French woman elected Interpol’s first female chief
The world’s largest international police organisation Interpol made history on Thursday when it elected top French police chief Mireille Ballestrazzi as its first female president. Ballestrazzi made her name fighting organised crime in Corsica.

A top French police officer has been elected the first woman to lead the world’s largest international police organisation Interpol at its general assembly in Rome on Thursday.

Mireille Ballestrazzi, 58, well-known for her work combating organised crime in Bordeaux and Corsica, is currently second in command of France’s police force.

Interpol, based in the French city of Lyon, announced the historic appointment on Twitter.

Significant moment for women
Speaking about her appointment to French media Ballestrazzi said it was a significant moment for France and particularly for women.

“Of course I am happy they have put their trust in me,” Ballestrazzi told French radio RTL after her appointment was made public. “I am proud for women because this can have an impact and I am proud for France,” she added.

Ballestrazzi said she was “wholly committed to the fundamental role Interpol must play in global police cooperation.”

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who attended the Interpol assembly earlier this week, said Ballestrazzi was “a great police woman”.

“She is one of the women who are the pride of the French police,” he said.

Valls said her experience with organised crime would serve her well in fighting drug trafficking, mafias from southern and eastern Europe as well as growing political violence that requires a coordinated international response.
‘Invaluable experience’
Ballestrazzi became a police commissioner in France in 1975 and was already vice-president for Europe on Interpol’s executive committee.

She is particularly well known for her time as director of judicial police in Corsica in the 1990s at a time of fierce turf wars on the island.

France has not held the presidency of the Interpol since 1992 when Yvan Barbot was in charge of the organisation.

Interpol, whose aim is to promote cooperation between national police forces, has 190 member states.

The organisation’s Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said Ballestrazzi’s appointment was another example of Interpol’s evolution.

“She brings invaluable experience in cross-border police collaboration to her role, as well as proven leadership abilities, and I look forward to working closely with her to ensure that Interpol continues to provide innovative responses to meet the needs of our member countries,” said Noble.

Authorities of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, southsouth Nigeria, have announced the re-opening of the institution for academic activities.
The institution was shut last month in the wake of violent protest over the murder of four students by a mob in Aluu community.
A statement signed by the Deputy Registrar of the University, Williams Wodi said the decision to re-open the school was reached after an emergency meeting held by the University Senate on Wednesday.
The statement urged all students to return to the campus before weekend as normal lectures would begin on Monday, 12 November.
It assured that peace has returned to the university’s neighborhood especially Omuokiri-Aluu where the four male students of the institution were lynched last month.
The statement further said that the Vice Chancellor of Uniport, Professor Joseph Ajienka has met with the landlords in Aluu who have guaranteed the safety of the students and staff living in the community.

You may find this incredible, but Igbo and Yoruba languages are widely spoken in the Caribbean Islands. And the speakers are not Nigerians living in those countries. Indigenes of the Caribbean Islands speak Igbo and Yoruba.

It might be different from the Yoruba or Igbo that many Nigerians speak today, but a foremost entertainer and music maestro, Tar Ukoh, says many people in the area speak Igbo and Yoruba of the 13th century. Till now he says, the Yorubas still play and enjoy their traditional Yoruba songs, while the Igbos feature their nmanwu, agaba and ekpe masquerades. Ukoh, known in the entertainment world as Mambisa, made this revelation while on a guided tour with a group of Cuban ladies mostly of Yoruba ancestry now in the country.

They are part of the Cuban troupe searching for the place their ancestors once lived and called their own before they were brutally uprooted by slave raiders and merchants and whisked to sugar plantations in the Caribbean Islands. “This group you are seeing here consists of Yoruba ladies from Cuba.

They are here searching for their ancestral home. They are asking, Ile mi da (where is my home)? And don’t forget that out there in the Caribbean, there are countless Igbos too who still speak their language, feature in agaba, ekpe and nmanwu masquerades. From those masquerades, they fashioned out a brand of music they call Wawanco. Their ancestors too were the exponents of the popular Calypso music which is an adulteration of Ka anyi soo nmanwu (let’s join the masquerade troupe).

They also play another brand of music called Abakwua to remember Abata, a point in Ogoja axis in Cross River through which slaves were taken. Slaves who went through that route were then given numbers such as Abata 1, 2… to identify them.” Now, Ukoh is demanding that those routes and other historical sites like the Long Juju of Arochukwu be revitalised.

He says if that is done, it will boost historical tourism which can become an alternative source of revenue to oil. He is therefore advising that Nigeria should take a cue from countries like Ghana and Senegal that are bountifully reaping from the industry, adding that annually, thousands of tourists stream into both countries to see the Elmina Caste and the House of Slaves on Goree Island respectively where slaves in the 18th century were hounded before their final shipment abroad.

Ukoh who holds citizenships of Cuba and Ethiopia says he is still regretting the alleged Nigeria’s rejection of United Nations Education and Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s request that slave routes from Isikwuato, Abriba, Arochukwu to Opobo be revitalised to serve as a world heritage site.

“Some time ago, UNESCO approached Nigeria, wanting those routes along which slaves were taken to Opobo be revitalised as a UNESCO project, but Nigeria turned down the request. Countries like Ghana and Senegal then picked the initiative, and now they are making fortune from the project. That is what I’m appealing to Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State to act on. If he could re-establish the Long juju of Arochukwu, the Isikwuato – Abriba slave trade routes, then he can collaborate with Akwa Ibom State to develop the Jaja of Opobo enclave,” he said. Ukoh, who facilitated the coming of the Cuban delegation, told Daily Sun that he was very excited at the collaboration. Describing himself as a Nigerian cultural ambassador, he said he takes much pleasure in marketing Nigeria and Africa to the entire world. “I’m the facilitator and co-ordinator of the project. I brought this cultural troupe to Nigeria.

I’m a citizen of Cuba, by the way. I have been working with Cuba for the past 30 years. What you are seeing today is just an extension of the programme I have been doing in that country. “The Cubans arrived here in August and featured in the Osun Osogbo Festival. And since then, they have been touring the country. They will round off their tour after visiting 16 states.” The essence of the tour, he says “is to develop Nigerian-Cuba tie.

Their aim is to promote their Yoruba heritage in Cuba here in Nigeria.” He expressed happiness that “the response we are getting is fantastic. We go to the villages for them to see things for themselves. What we are doing at the moment is part of the initiative to promote Nigerian – Cuban diplomatic relations.” Ukoh, a multi-linguist from Benue State, says he prides himself as Nigerian, Ethiopian and African cultural ambassador. “I represent Ethiopia in Nigeria.

I’m a pan Africanist because I promote Ethiopian culture in Africa and they see me as their son and that is important to me. In the same way, I’m Nigeria’s cultural ambassador and I see myself as so. That is what I do all over the world. Nigeria gives me that job, that recognition and that is why I’m bringing the Cubans to tour the country. I do that without much help. I don’t need any payment to do that; I see that as my duty.”

He said he works with the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism because “they recognise my job all over the world, especially in Africa. So when I bring in programmes, they accept them and often we collaborate. When they have programmes and want to reach out to those countries where they feel I have influence, they always encourage me to have collaboration with them.” He noted that it had become necessary for him to market culture because “culture is everything to me. Without culture, everything is lost. Technology is culture; the food we eat is culture, even understanding how to look after our environment is culture.

Therefore culture is important to our existence. It is not all about singing and dancing; it is the totality of our existence.” The Cuban troupe to Nigeria consists of a team leader, Comrade Karina Palaciuos, a manager and a television journalist said to be the best in Cuba, (both of them males) and then seven women whose ages averaged 25 years. The group has been around since August, 24 2012, when this year’s edition of Osun Osogbo was held. Guided by Ukoh, the group has since been touring some states in the country, interacting with the people and getting used to the Nigerian way of life. The group called Obirin Bata (Women playing the Bata drum, in Yoruba) was at the last Osun Osogbo Festival, drumming and dancing, wining and dining.

Looking at the women, nothing suggests that they are Nigerians, let alone Yoruba. Most of them look alike, except the troupe leader, Comrade Palacious. However, in their midst is a Fulani lady whose look is totally Fulani. All but Comrade Palacious speak Spanish; but they claim to speak Yoruba of the 13th century which might be lost to today’s speakers of the language. “We are here in Nigeria at the instance of the Ministry of Culture of Cuba and Ministry of Culture, Orientation and Tourism of Nigeria,” says Comrade Palacious. “We signed an agreement to develop cultural interaction. We are bringing our culture back to our motherland Africa. So we are back to our roots. Our mission here is to visit different states and see as many places as possible.

“We are excited to be back to our roots. We have been to Osun Osogbo Festival and participated in the international event. We were at the Osun River; we shared with the people in all that they did. In Cuba, we observe the same tradition like the Osun Osogbo. Our cultural troupe is called Obirin Bata which I’m told translates to women playing the drum. “We are very excited to be here. Let me tell you, our country was once a colony of Spain. When the Spanish arrived Cuba, majority of the local Cubans had died and disappeared. Then slaves from Africa started arriving, most of them coming from the Yoruba speaking people of Nigeria.

That is why when you get to streets in Cuba, you see Yoruba speaking people. Now 500 years after, we are back here. “Indeed, I like this cultural visit. With the help of the Ministry of Culture of both countries, I look forward to seeing that a cultural exchange programme between Cuba and Nigeria is implemented. We would like to see Nigerians go to Cuba and have a rewarding experience just as we are having here,” she added.

Striker Robin van Persie was on target against his old club as Manchester United brushed Arsenal aside for a 2-1 victory that sent them to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.

Robin van Persie reminded former club Arsenal just what it is missing, scoring the opening goal as Manchester United won 2-1 Saturday to pile the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.
Playing against Arsenal for the first time since his big-money move to Old Trafford in August, Van Persie fired home after just three minutes for his 10th goal of the season to set United on its way.
Wayne Rooney dragged a penalty wide in first-half injury time for United, but the England striker crossed for Patrice Evra to head in the clinching goal in the 67th minute.
Arsenal, which played the final 21 minutes with 10 men after Jack Wilshere was sent off for two bookings, grabbed a consolation goal through Santi Cazorla with the final kick of the game. But the loss marks the team’s worst start to a season after 10 games since Arsene Wenger took charge in 1996.
With 15 points, Arsenal is already nine behind United and is sorely missing the marksmanship of Van Persie, who left the Gunners after eight seasons for 24 million pounds (then $38 million) in search of silverware.
He was received warmly by the visitors – Arsenal left back Andre Santos even asked the Dutchman to swap shirts at half time – and didn’t celebrate his goal that came after Thomas Vermaelen scuffed his clearance from Rafael da Silva’s cross.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever played against a former club,” Van Persie said. “So it’s a special day but it’s about the game and we won it.
“I played there for eight years, I had a fantastic time there and I respect the fans, manager, players and the whole club so that is why I didn’t celebrate.”
Van Persie’s low, right-foot finish was one of a string of good early chances created by United against a porous Arsenal defense, with thoughts inevitably turning to the 8-2 scoreline in the corresponding fixture last season.
However, Arsenal slowly got back into the match and, buoyed by Rooney’s penalty miss after Cazorla was adjudged to have handled Ashley Young’s cross, probed for an equalizer in a sprightly start to the second half.
Olivier Giroud struck a close-range shot against the post on the turn and Wilshere – playing his second match back after serious injury – helped the visitors dominate the midfield area for a spell.
But Evra’s header from Rooney’s inviting cross all but secured victory, moments after Van Persie had seen a golden chance turned aside by goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
When the tiring Wilshere received a second booking, for a studs-first foul on Evra as he stretched for the ball, it turned into a damage-limitation exercise for Arsenal.
“When we were 2-0 down and down to 10 men, it became difficult,” Wenger said. “If it was 11 versus 11 then we could have come back.
“It looked harsh from the stand,” Wenger added of Wilshere’s second yellow card.
Anderson, a substitute for the yellow-carded Tom Cleverley, had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside in the 80th and Rooney also wasted a good chance as United coasted toward victory.
Cazorla curled in a fine goal in the last seconds, but that was immediately followed by the final whistle.

My fiancée was raped by police, then charged with indecency’
The case against a Tunisian woman who was allegedly raped by police and then arrested for indecency has angered many Tunisians and become a rallying cry for critics of the country`s Islamist-led government.

It was one of the worst nights of his life, one he will never forget.

The evening started out fairly innocuously. It was September 3, and Ahmed T. was driving through a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, with his fiancée, Miriam S. [Names changed to protect their identities.]

Suddenly, three policemen stopped them. That’s when the nightmare began.

“One of them put me in handcuffs and demanded 300 dinars [150 euros],” said Ahmed in a phone interview with FRANCE 24 from Tunis. The 26-year-old Tunis resident did not have 300 dinars on him, so the policeman “took everything I had – about 40 dinars [20 euros] – and during that time, the two other policemen led my fiancée to the back of their car and raped her,” disclosed Ahmed, his voice quivering with raw emotion.

But it was not the end of the couple’s harrowing experience.

In a case that has sparked outrage across Tunisia – and among women’s and human rights activists across the world – Ahmed and Miriam now face charges of indecency.

On Wednesday, the couple was summoned to a Tunisian court where they confronted their three aggressors, two of whom are currently imprisoned on rape charges and awaiting trial.

According to the indictment, the couple was found in an “immoral position” in their car. In response to the charge, Ahmed told the judge they were seated in their respective car seats when the police stopped them.

The trial is set to start on October 2. If found guilty, Ahmed and Miriam both face a six-month jail sentence.

‘The victim turning into the accused’

Tunisian human rights groups have criticised what they call “a case of the victim turning into the accused”.

According to Miriam’s lawyer, Saiba Garrach, few women report rape in Tunisia precisely because they fear the kind of retaliation by authorities that her client is facing. “This case is part of a broader policy of intimidation against women to encourage them to stay at home,” said Garrach.

Miriam, who has degrees in finance and business management, remains unwilling to speak to the media. “She is traumatized by the accusation, she cries all the time,” Ahmed told FRANCE 24.
For him, the charges brought against them are a way to “pressure” the couple to “drop the complaint” it has lodged against police.
Speaking to FRANCE 24 hours after the couple’s court appearance Wednesday, Garrach praised Miriam’s “courage and good judgment to immediately go to a clinic, lodge a complaint and publicly denounce the rape.”
‘Policy of intimidation’
The trial against Miriam has nevertheless won her legions of supporters, including prominent NGOs, such as the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, also known by its French acronym, ATFD.

“In the end, this woman was raped three times: when she was taken from the car – a private space; when the policemen assaulted her, and when the justice system turned her into the accused,” noted Zeyneb Farhat, who has been at the forefront of the women’s rights group for over 20 years.
Miriam’s case has also given ammunition to opponents of Tunisia’s coalition government, which is led by the Islamist Ennahda party.
Tunisian feminists have decried the treatment of women by police since Ennahda came to power in October 2011. Activists say women are regularly harassed by law enforcement officials for their choice of attire or for going out at night without the supervision of male relatives.
“Rape as a tool of repression is still a practice in Tunisia,” blasted a spokesman for the left-wing Democratic Modernist Pole, a parliamentary opposition group, in an interview with the AFP news agency.

Dissenting voices have even risen from Ennahda’s own ruling coalition. Karima Souid, a lawmaker with the centre-left Ettakatol party, said she would sever ties with the government following the charges against Miriam. “The rape case and this morning’s hearing against the victim is the last straw, it makes me vomit,” she raged in a Facebook post.
In another interview with AFP, Tunisian government spokesman Khaled Tarrouche said the interior ministry had “nothing to do” with the charges against Miriam, saying it was solely the decision of the judiciary. “We behaved exactly as we should. We did what was necessary, the three officers were arrested immediately,” he said.

Tarrouche said this was an isolated case and urged people on Thursday “not to exploit this affair politically or in the media.”
Saturday rally
Meanwhile, angry Tunisians have called for a demonstration against the government on Saturday. Organisers say the protest is meant to call attention to the fragile status of women in the North African country.
Tunisia is widely believed to have among the most progressive laws regarding women in the Arab world. The Personal Status Code, or CSP, was enacted in August 1956 and establishes clear gender equality in most aspects of life in Tunisia. Nevertheless, discriminations persists, such as in inheritance statutes.
Ennahda’s efforts to modify the CSP have already triggered a backlash. In August, a proposition to include text in the new constitution that makes reference to the “complementary” nature of women, rather than “equal” status between the sexes, sparked street protests. The draft text was eventually dropped. http://mobile.france24.com/en/20120927-tunisia-police-rape-woman-indicency-trial-feminism-islamist-ennahda-party

President Goodluck Jonathan Saturday met with a high powered delegate from Rivers State to discuss the contentious issue of oil wells-cum-border dispute that has pitted his home state, Bayelsa against Rivers fuelling accusations that he may be behind the matter in favour of his kins men.

Jonathan, sources had told to our news desk,that the president was supposed to meet the two parties, but no reason was given for the separate meeting with the Rivers delegates alone.

The Rivers State delegate led by the state Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, who was accompanied by his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, who is also the Chairman of Rivers State Boundary Commission, comprised of notable monarchs under the aegis of the Kalabari National Forum (KNF).

According to a source at the meeting, which lasted more than one hour inside the State House Press Gallery, the president explored means of peacefully reconciling the differences over what some indigenes of Rivers claim was the excision of some oil wells belonging to their communities.

A statement issued by the spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said the retired general was killed along with one of his guests.

The guest according to the statement died on the spot while the general died on his way to the hospital.

The JTF cordoned off the area in search of the perpetrators of the act and called for the cooperation of the people.

This incident is happening barely 24 hours after the Boko Haram sect outlined three conditions to the federal government towards a ceasefire over killings that has claimed several lives across northern part of the country.

2nd, 2012 Breaking News / Current / Local | By Channels Television
MEND demands Okah’s release before talks with Boko Haram
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The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have threatened “serious consequences” using technological warfare if the federal government agrees to demands made by members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram without releasing its leader, Henry Okah.

MEND in a statement released by an official of the militant group, Comrade Azizi, warned that if conditions given by Boko Haram were granted without the release of their leader, Henry Okah and other members of the group, “there will be serious consequences”.

The group which prior to the Amnesty programme attacked a number of oil installations across the country, added that with its latest technological know-how, its renewed onslaught will affect the entire country including the oil and non-oil sectors.

“The high command of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta wishes to inform the Federal Government and all security agencies in Nigeria that if these conditions given by boko haram are granted without the release of our dear leader (Henry Okah) and other members of our movement, there will be serious consequences which with our latest technological know-how, will affect the entire country including the oil and non-oil sectors respectively” the statement read.

Boko Haram on Wednesday offered to hold talks with the federal government ahead of a planned ceasefire giving some conditions for such dialogue to hold.

Henry Okah is currently standing trial in South Africa for terrorism against the Nigerian government over the 2010 Independence Day anniversary bombings in Abuja, while the nation marked the 50th independence anniversary.

The group, like their counterparts in the north, outlined conditions to be met by the federal government, warning that if the conditions are not met, the Nigerian state will face the wrath of “our latest technological know-how”.

The conditions include:

-Stop further prosecution of our leader (Henry Okah)

-Release all members of the movement held in various detention centers in Nigeria

-Compensate families of our members killed by the Government security agencies.

-Withdraw all military personnel and tanks in the region

-Handing over resource control to the region.

MEND in the statement further regretted the inability of the federal government to live up to its responsibility of protecting the lives and property of inhabitants of the Niger Delta region and its failure to hand over the control of the resources in the oil rich region since independence.

“It is regrettable that for the past 52 years of independence, the Federal Government has failed in it’s responsibilities to protect the lives and properties of the Niger Deltans and most importantly, handing over the control of our resources to the region rather the Federal Government finds it appropriate to use the money generated from our resources in developing other regions which we no longer can take” the statement concluded.

An anti- corruption watchdog group, Anti-Corruption Network, led by former house member Dino Melaye today provided photos of a residence it claimed was built for Nigeria’s minister of the Niger Delta ministry, Elder Godsday orubebe in the Mabushi area of Abuja.
Mr. Dino stated that a construction company Setraco built and delivered the new mansion to Mr. Orubebe in less than six months after the company benefitted from contracts to build part of the East-West highway in the Delta region.
The photos taken by the group shows a mansion located on Minister’s Hill area, Mabushi Abuja. Dino told Saharareporters that the offices of the group was burgled by unknown person after it revealed that Mr. Orubebe was involved in other scams totalling N29 billion in ficticious contracts.

Calling Delta State governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan a “monumental failure,” and a “rogue,” a group called the Movement for the Protection of the Rights of Deltans (MPROD), said in a public petition that Deltans across the State’s three Senatorial Zones and ethnic nationalities have resolved to rescue the State from the governor, whom they accuse of squandering N1.5 trillion in the past five years.

Even Uduaghan’s commissioners, except two, MPROD says in the petition, HOW UDUAGHAN IS MORTGAGING THE FUTURE OF DELTANS Part 1, a copy of which was sent to SaharaReporters, are behind the decision.

“Deltans have resolved to rise up, rescue the state and carry out a resolution akin to Arab Spring in Egypt and Libya where tyrants and rogues stole their countries blind,” the complaint says.

“Uduaghan’s Commissioners are all behind this resolution except TWO- Special Infrastructure and Transport–and in our next expose, we shall explain why they both opted out of the Movement to Free Delta State and save Deltans from the hands of the rogue Governor.”

The petition alleges that the governor has squandered about N1.5 trillion since he took over from his predecessor in 2007.

“The startling and mind-bungling revelations from sources within the ministries of Economic Planning, Budget and Finance, is that Uduaghan has received N1.5 trillion in the last five years, yet what we find today in Delta State are virtually abandoned projects, kidnapping, stealing, and stories of what the Government intends to do, because there is nothing on ground to justify these huge financial sums.”

“Interestingly, states like Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Edo, and Cross River have done very well and have shown leadership and performance. A State such as Edo that receives far less than Delta has done far better than the rogue Uduaghan,” the petition says.

The complainants assert that the governor has done “absolutely NOTHING” with the vast sums he has received, outlining both the sources of the funds and the projects through which it claimed the funds are being drained.

“In our next expose, we shall reveal the names and identities of those he uses as fronts to ferry Deltans monies away,” they promise.

State Criminal Investigation Department of the Lagos State Police Command, Panti, has arrested Tunde Williams, whose 22-year-old ‘houseboy,’ Onyeka Raphael, was found dead in the swimming pool of Williams’ house on Saturday. Spokesperson of the command, Ngozi Braide, told our correspondent on Wednesday, that the case was transferred to the SCID on Wednesday. The police had earlier stated that Williams was not cooperating. Braide said, “I spoke with the Divisional Police Officer of Ogudu yesterday. The boss was not cooperating. “Right now, the officers in charge of the case would dig into the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased. Investigation has commenced.” A source at the homicide unit of the SCID, said Williams, a retired accountant, had been taken into custody on Wednesday while a search was conducted on his home. “A single-barrelled gun was found in the house and there is no evidence suggesting that the gun was legally owned,” the source said. Raphael was found at the bottom of the swimming pool of the house on Babatunde Asimi Street, Ogudu GRA, Lagos, in which he worked as a househelp. The deceased was said to be an indigene of Umunede in Ika Local Government Area of Delta State. PUNCH Metro learnt that the family had suspected foul play and written a petition to the Commissioner of Police, seeking an investigation into Raphael’s death. The family claimed the dinner Raphael made for himself the night before was still on the kitchen table, adding that the security man in the house said he did not observe anything strange that night. The police have said an autopsy would be carried out on the victim’s corpse. A source said there was a fallout between Williams and the deceased about a month ago and that he (Raphael) would have quit his job save for appeals from a family member. It is however not clear what the cause of the problem was. The police have said the outcome of the autopsy would determine whether the case would be treated as homicide or not.

Two policemen were on Wednesday night killed by gunmen suspected to be cultists at Agbura community close to Azikoro village in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Our correspondent learnt that the driver of the patrol van, however, escaped with bullet wounds.

The policemen were said to be on patrol when they were ambushed at about 11pm.
Though the police failed to identify the victims, our correspondent learnt that the deceased were an inspector and a corporal.

Their killers were said to have driven in an unidentified Sports Utility Van close to the patrol van before opening fire on their victims.

The injured police officer was said to be receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.
The motive behind the attack was not known.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Fidelis Odunna, confirmed the incident.
While declining to name the affected officers, he said the police had commenced investigations into the killing.

“We have started investigating the matter and we are not going to arrest until we arrest the suspects,” he said.
Meanwhile, a four-man gang raided the New Jerusalem Avenue, Amarata, Yenagoa on Wednesday night, dispossessing residents of their valuables.

The armed men, in a house-to-house robbery, inflicted machete cuts on one of their victims.

Amnesty International has passed a damning verdict on Nigeria’s approach in dealing with the wave of terror unleashed on the country, especially in the North by Boko Haram.

The global human rights group accused the Federal Government of embarking on a series of human rights abuses in its anti-terror campaign.

It said in a report released yesterday that “there is a vicious cycle of violence currently taking place in Nigeria” and that “the Nigerian people are trapped in the middle.”

However, the military and the police have debunked Amnesty International’s claims on Nigeria’s terror war, saying the report is at variance with the situation on ground in the country.

In the report titled: ‘Nigeria: Trapped in the Cycle of Violence’, the group documents the atrocities of Boko Haram and also catalogued what it called, “the serious human rights violations carried out by the security forces in response, including enforced disappearance, torture, extrajudicial executions, the torching of homes and detention without trial.”

The 76-page report, released at an event in Abuja, faulted the strategy employed to tackle the nation’s security challenges, adding that security operations against Boko Haram had been conducted with little regard for the rule of law or human rights.

“Many have remained in detention for lengthy periods without charge or trial, without proper notification of family members, without being brought before any judicial authority, and without access to lawyers or the outside world. A significant number have even been extra-judicially executed.

While agreeing that grave human rights abuses had been committed by Boko Haram, it also said Federal Government must take responsibility for its own failings where it had not deployed adequate measures to prevent abuses and hold those responsible to account.

The report said many of the anti-terror operations involved serious violations of human rights, adding that “by virtue of its international obligations, Nigeria is specifically required to investigate without delay and, where there is sufficient admissible evidence to prosecute those responsible in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.”

It also said research by Amnesty International indicated that in some cases, Nigeria might not be responding to attacks by Boko Haram with the due diligence required.

The report said it found out that only few of the hundreds of people arrested and detained by the security forces in Northern Nigeria had been formally charged, while many others are languishing in police, military or SSS detention for months while “investigations are ongoing.”

It tasked government on the need to recognise that the population would not be truly secured until everyone in Nigeria could be confident, not only that the risk of attacks from Boko Haram had been reduced, but also that they would not face human rights violations in the hands of state security forces mandated with their protection.

Amnesty International also urged Nigeria to take effective action to protect its population against Boko Haram’s campaign of terror within the boundaries of the rule of law.

It, however, sympathised with security agents killed in the frontline, adding that the failure of Federal Government to properly equip and train the police reduces their ability to ensure their own and other people’s safety.

The report also sets out key recommendations which include that Federal Government takes measures to prevent and protect civilians from attacks, investigate all such crimes, bring perpetrators to justice and ensure that rights violations are not perpetrated by security agencies in the name of national security.

Amnesty International Secretary General, Salil Shetty, who addressed journalists at the presentation of the report, said: “People are living in a climate of fear and insecurity, vulnerable to attack from Boko Haram and facing human rights violations at the hands of the very state security forces which should be protecting them.”

Also, the police in statement by the Force spokesperson, Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police, said they were studying the report “with a view to establishing its veracity and relevance vis-à-vis our contemporary security challenges and needs.”

Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters has also debunked the report. Speaking to THISDAY Thursday in Abuja, the Director of Defence Information, Col Yerima, dismissed the allegations, saying that they were baseless and unfounded.

Yerima, however, stated that the Nigerian security forces had not gone outside the law in the discharge of their duties.

He said: “The story is baseless because we have not violated any law or human rights violation. We have not gone outside the law.

The Defence spokesman also explained that their officers understand the rule of engagements guiding such operations and that the only way through which some of the kill Boko Haram suspects might be killed is during gunfights if they refuse arrests and have never been in execution style.

Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, has denied the allegations against the military, calling on the international watchdog to demonstrate greater objectivity and openness in its reports on Nigeria.

In his response, the Ashiru categorically stated that Nigeria has had and would continue to have a very good working relation with AI, emphasising that this fact does not support the allegation of Nigeria’s refusal to cooperate fully with the body.

The minister stressed that while terrorism was new to Nigeria, government had adopted a multi-track approach, anchored on robust law enforcement, military strategy, indirect dialogue, including constructive engagement with religious leaders as well as the implementation of the Transformation Agenda.

Ashiru further enumerated government’s efforts in addressing the menace of Boko Haram and other national challenges. These include the establishment of Almajiri schools in the North, Skills Acquisition Centres, agricultural farms, youth enterprise with innovation in Nigeria.

He underscored the strong conviction that the success of government’s Transformation Agenda would assist in addressing the root causes of terror in terms of wealth and job creation as well as mass education of the people.

Ashiru stoutly denied allegations of mass extra-judicial killings, arguing that the security forces have been very restrained in their response to the complex challenge posed by the insurgents, many of who remained faceless and brutal in their tactics.

He recalled that members of Nigeria security forces had fallen victims to Boko Haram in the course of carrying out their lawful duties and urged AI to be more circumspect, nuanced and balanced in their assessment of the situation in the country.

From Boko Haram came yesterday an unusual offer of a ceasefire, but with some conditions. One: The Federal Government must arrest and prosecute former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. Two: The families of killed members of the Islamist sect must be compensated and their property destroyed during encounters with security agents, rebuilt. The ceasefire offer came during a telephone Press conference in Maiduguri, Borno State given by one Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, who said he is the Boko Haram commander in charge of southern and northern Borno. Abdulaziz claimed he had the mandate of their leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau.

He said: “We are highly offended due to what happened three years ago (referring to the killing of the sect’s leader, Mallam Mohammed Yusuf”. Reacting to the development, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, said: “Yes, I have seen the story in which the Boko Haram is reportedly declaring a ceasefire and the opening of dialogue.

I think it is important to restate the position of government in this matter. The Federal Government is committed to peace and security for the benefit of all Nigerians. If what the proposed ceasefire is intended to achieve are the objectives of peace and security, then it is a welcome development.

Don’t forget that President Jonathan had made it clear that if the people behind Boko Haram are ready to come forward, and table their grievances, then government will be willing to listen to those grievances.

There have been attempts before now, by concerned persons to reach out to the Boko Haram through back channels, in response to government’s call that all efforts should be made to resolve the problem. I suspect that this latest development may be related to that. Definitely, government is determined to ensure peace, peace, and peace, and protect the rule of law, and at the same time, see that justice is done where wrongs have been committed.”

Meanwhile, Abdulaziz said: “If this former governor (Sen Ali Sheriff) is arrested, this thing (attack) will end,” he stated.

He alleged that Sen. Sheriff while in office, allegedly sent security operatives to arrest and kill most of its members while practising their religious belief. “We have been practising our religion in this town without any problem until the man came and caused this problem,” he stated. According to him, the sect had lost many of its members, as many have also been hounded into military custodies, while “fighting the cause of Allah.” His words: “Most of our members had been killed by the security agents while some are in various detentions. We’ve lost many of our children and wives.

Our homes and belongings were destroyed and up till today, our people are being killed.” Abdulaziz, who said he is the Boko Haram boss for southern and northern Borno, said the sect believes “it is time to end this thing (attacks and killings),” stressing that the arrest of the former governor would be a strong condition for ceasefire. He also said the group would want compensation for the blood of its members believed to have been killed by the security forces and their property to resettle their families as part of the two conditions for dialogue and ceasefire. He, however, maintained that the group had adopted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the venue of the proposed dialogue with the Federal Government.

“If the Federal Government means peace, we will want compensation especially for most of our members killed, our properties and belonging destroyed so as to resettle our families. But then, we prefer to have the dialogue in Saudi Arabia Insha Allah because we have seen this dishonesty and insincerity on the part of the Federal Government,” he said. Abdulaziz also claimed their leader; Imam Shekau, had appointed five members of the sect (himself inclusive) to handle the peace talks.

“Myself, Sheik Ibrahim Yusuf, Sheik Sani Kontagora, Abu Abbass and Mamman Nur have been appointed by our great brother and leader to handle the dialogue with the Federal Government,” he disclosed. He noted that the sect would prefer the former military leader, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Yobe State governor and now Senator, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, first Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, octogenarian Shettima Ali Monguno, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Insecurity in the North-East, Amb Gaji Gatimari and other prominent members of the Borno Emirate. Abdulaziz told reporters that the sect’s second-in-command, whom he introduced as Sheik Abbass Abubakar, would clarify issues concerning some killings, car snatching and robberies in the state.

In his remarks, Abubakar said Boko Haram was not in any way connected to political killings, stressing that some people were committing the act under the guise of Boko Haram. “We don’t have hands in bank robbery or any robbery, we don’t snatch cars and we are not involved in some killings which have political motivations. We are working for the cause of Allah,” he stressed. As at Press time, it could not be ascertained if the said dialogue position of Boko Haram as claimed by Abdulaziz yesterday was a direct result of a meeting held by some Borno elders two weeks ago at the Shehu of Borno palace, at the instance of the Shehu, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai Elkanemi.

The Shehu had met some elders under the auspices of Borno Elders’ Forum to take “some far-reaching decisions” on the lingering security situation in the state and some parts of the north. Secretary of the forum and former Borno State Head of Service, Bulama Mali Gubio, had after the meeting told journalists that the results of the “far-reaching decisions” taken at the “important meeting” would begin to manifest after two weeks, alleging that the Federal Government had abandoned Borno people to their fate and as such, “the need to take the bull by the horns.”

President Goodluck Jonathan has been accused of being the brain behind the boundary adjustment, which ceded some communities in Rivers State to his state, Bayelsa. The president, through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Rueben Abati, had denied any involvement in the controversial boundary adjustment.

Speaking during a press conference in Port Harcourt yesterday, after a protest march, which terminated at the Rivers State Government House, Mr. Ibim Dokubo said the fundamental shift of the boundary between the two sister states was masterminded by the president when he was the deputy governor of Bayelsa State.

According to him, deputy governors handled boundary issues, adding that, “the problem of boundary adjustment started when the president was the deputy governor of Bayelsa State; doubled when he became the governor, tripled when he was vice president and quadrupled, when he became the president,” he said. He wondered why a boundary between two sister states could be adjusted without impute from one of them.

Earlier, Kalabari chiefs, sons and daughters, had marched to the Rivers State Government House, where they presented document containing their grievances to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, through his Deputy, Mr. Tele Ikuru. Before presenting the documents to the deputy governor, the leader of the protesters, His Royal Highness, Disrael Bobanuel, Amayanabo of Abonnema, said the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa had been in existence for over hundred years.

“Suddenly, we realized that a fictitious map was published between 2000 and 2002. In that map, the boundary was moved from Santa Babara River to St Bartholomew,” the royal father said. He explained that when they wanted to agitate, they were told to exercise restraint, as Supreme Court had assured that the mistake made in the 11th edition of the map would be rectified in the 12th edition.

According to him, as they were still waiting, they woke up one day only to discover that over 90 per cent of Kalabari land and resources had been ceded to Nembe, Bayelsa State. He said: “Kalabari has a well-defined chieftaincy tradition, dating back to 14th century. We are not ready to be under Nembe traditional council. We are not ready to have our brothers, being under Bayelsa, while they are being fed from Rivers State.

There is no reason for the movement of the boundary, and it is done illegally. If this is allowed to continue, nobody knows what will happen next. “We have been pleading with our people; they are becoming restive and restless.” Responding, the deputy governor commended them for their peaceful disposition. He said the case of Soku had been giving the state government concern. According to him, Soku had been part of Rivers State until the boundary was adjusted.

Ikuru disclosed how N17 billion, accruing to Rivers State, was paid to Bayelsa State last month. He also alleged how their complaints were not given attention by the necessary Federal Government agencies. “We went and they blocked us, eventually, we went to the court, even at the court, things are tight. “As a matter of fact, we are at crossroads, the point we are now is to appeal to the National Assembly to see that Justice is done.

We call on the National Assembly to step into the matter.’’ In his address, the Amayanabo of Kalabari Kingdom, Prof. T. J. T. Princewill, described as injurious, malicious and surreptitious plans to excise 80 per cent of the oil and gas bearing communities and settlements in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, and making them part of old Brass Division.

“We make bold that our President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is very well acquainted with the facts of this explosive matter, but has allowed it to fester. Maybe, because his native state is the beneficiary of this arrogance and outright wickedness, against a people, who solidly stood by him, more than any other group in the federation, when he passionately sought help to ascend to the high office of president of our dear county,” he said.

A misleading tweet by an official of the Nigerian Presidency helped fueled nationwide speculation Thursday that Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba died in a plane crash.
Anxiety had mounted over the fate of the occupants of the ill-fated plane after the story broke that six passengers and crew, including Mr. Suntai, were aboard the small jetliner which crashed Thursday evening close to the NNPC depot in Yola.
But rather than help defuse the tension over the crash, which came less than five months after a Lagos-bound Dana-operated aircraft from Abuja crashed into a two-storey building in Lagos, killing all 153 passengers, and 10 others on the ground, the presidency added to the confusion, pronouncing the governor dead without getting confirmation from officials on ground in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
“May the soul of the late departed Governor, Danbaba Suntai, of Taraba State rest in peace and may God grant the state peace this trying time,” the Special Assistant to the President on New Media, Reno Omokri, said via his twitter handle, @renoomokri.
But after this newspaper reported claims by witnesses and Taraba State officials that the governor survived the crash and was in hospital, Mr. Omokri hurriedly deleted his misleading tweet. When we checked his twitter handle at 9.25 p.m., the tweet was no longer there.
He did not offer any apology or explanation.
Mr. Omokri had in the past used his handle to convey presidential statements and information to Nigerians, and many were quick to believe the information he circulated.
“Once I saw Reno condoling Taraba and the family of the governor, every doubt I had about the purported death of the governor evaporated,” a state House correspondent told PREMIUM TIMES this morning. “It is unfortunate that the presidency misled the nation once again.
The Federal Ministry of Aviation later issued a statement saying the Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, and the other five passengers aboard the crashed plane are alive.
This is the second time the presidency would mislead the nation in less than a month. In his Independence Day anniversary speech, President Goodluck Jonathan had lied that global corruption watchdog, Transparency International, had endorsed and praised his administration’s war against corruption.
“In its latest report, Transparency International (TI) noted that Nigeria is the second most improved country in the effort to curb corruption,” the President said with glee.
But after this newspaper exposed the lies contained in the president’s broadcast after doing a thorough fact check and interviewing officials of TI, Mr. Omokri took to social media deriding our medium and labeling it an opposition platform.
President Jonathan and his officials are yet to apologise for the misinformation and the global embarrassment many believe the false claim brought upon Nigeria.
No presidency official has also been punished over the matter.
The Special Adviser on Media to the President, Reuben Abati, could not be reached to comment for this story. Calls to his telephones were neither answered nor returned.

An Assistant Director with the State Security Services, SSS, James Ineh, told the Federal High Court on Wednesday that a Senator, Mohammed Ndume, gave the telephone number of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, to the Boko Haram.
Mr. Ndume, a serving Senator from Borno, is standing trial for allegedly having links with Boko Haram.
The accused has, however, said he established the link to facilitate peace as a member of the Presidential Committee on Security in the North East Zone.
Mr. Ineh, who was the Chairman of the Special Investigation Panel, SIP, set up to investigate Mr. Ndume, said that a former spokesman of Boko Haram, Ali Konduga, revealed the information to the panel. He said Mr. Konduga informed the panel that the senator provided him with the telephone number of Mr. Adoke.
The witness allegedly told the panel that the number was used to bargain a governorship petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Borno state.
Mr. Ineh said that the former Boko Haram spokesman testified that the calls to Mr. Adoke were threats to spur him to influence the
Governorship Election Tribunal members to cede the state’s election victory to PDP or risk mayhem in the State.
He explained that the name of the Attorney General was dragged into the panel report submitted on November 25, 2011 on the grounds that his GSM number was found in Mr. Konduga’s telephone set.
Mr. Ineh, in his testimony, further said that the items found in the senator’s telephone were indicative of his close connection with the dreaded group.
“The fact that Konduga was tried and convicted of terrorism acts is enough to show that the accused is also liable,’’ he said.
The judge, Gabriel Kolawole, adjourned the suit to November 1, November 5 and December 11.

British arms dealer found guilty over weapons exports to Nigeria
A British arms dealer was convicted today of involvement in the shipping of thousands of AK47 assault rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition from China to Nigeria in 2007.
Gary Hyde, 43, of Mask Lane, Newton on Derwent, near York, was convicted by a jury at Southwark Crown Court of breaching British trade controls.
He moved the weapons without a licence and hid more than $1 million (£620,460) in commission payments, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs said.
The court heard that the shipment was made up of 40,000 AK47 assault rifles, 30,000 rifles and 10,000 9mm pistols, along with 32 million rounds of ammunition.
Mr Hyde was convicted at retrial of two counts of becoming knowingly concerned in the movement of controlled goods between March 2006 and December 2007.
He was also found guilty of one count of concealing criminal property between March 2006 and December 2008 after he was alleged to have hidden the profits in a bank in Liechtenstein.
Mr Hyde, who served as a special constable for seven years, will be sentenced on November 23.

Suspected Boko Haram Gunmen Kill Three People In Maiduguri
Residents of Zajiri ward of Maiduguri metropolis of Borno state, were thrown into “panic and fears”, as gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members attacked two houses in the area, killing three youth before their parents in the early hours of Friday.
The gunmen, according to eyewitness account walked on foot and started firing gunshots at the two houses in Zajiri ward, the same area 15 people were killed in Baga market attacks and bombings early this year.
The eyewitness account said: “when we started hearing the gunshots, all of us in the house were gripped with fears, as we have no any other place to flee and hide from the attackers. I heard some people in the next house crying wayo Allah, please help. They have come again to kill us this night, just hours before the Sallah celebration. I cannot tell you how many of our neighbours were killed last night, but I assure you that three boys living in the next house were killed by the gunmen, which I cannot tell whether they were Boko Haram or armed bandits.”
Confirming the incident yesterday in Maiduguri, the Borno state police command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin in a telephone chat said that, the police command received a report from the Area Police Commander of Ibrahim Taiwo Police Station, indicating that three people were killed in the Zajiri area of Baga road. He said no arrests were made in the serial attacks launched on the residents of Zajiri, adding that the gunmen that perpetrated the heinous crimes were suspected members of the Boko Haram that usually target policemen, soldiers, traditional and religious leaders in Borno state.

recall my Uncle telling me about a man in my Neighborhood who became popular for engaging in money rituals just to buy the 80’s edition of the Honda Prelude. You wouldn’t buy that car for 50k today. I Remember as a kid, my whole street converged to watch a truck deliver a very large satellite dish to my neighbor’s house. Today a dish one tenth that size delivers 5 times the value and is in almost every student hostel room. What about the Volkswagen Santana, Mercedes Benz V booth, 505 cocaine, all overtaken by Camry,Honda discussions and Infinity? …. Vanity. A friend declared drinks for the boys because he just launched the Nokia Communicator for over a hundred grand in 2002. Today that phone would embarrass the owner and is a joke compared to the low cost and everyday phone. What about d MTN sim card dat many people went extra miles b4 dey bought it for over 30k, today u will not buy it at N200. People are still making the most amazing sacrifices over the ‘vainest’ of things, make enemies over worthless material things. What can I Say? Look back at that one thing you want to kill or die for today and see what becomes of it tomorrow. Did u also hear dat president Jonathan Goodluck Multi Million dollar Home Was also submerged by Flood just like most poor Nigerians…. Slow down with the sense of attachment and blind pursuit of things, for today’s ‘gold’ is tomorrow’s ‘copper’………..FOOD FOR THOUGHT!! Dnt take everytin in dis life importnt bc at d end, everytin is Vanity upon Vanity.

CONTROVERSY continues to trail claim by a member of the House of Representatives, Mallam Abdulrazak Nuhu Bature, that he possesses an Advanced Diploma in Public Administration (ADPA) from the University of Jos.

Bature, who represents Ningi/Warji Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, allegedly claimsto be a 2006/2007 graduate of the ADPA programme of the institution in his curriculum vitae.

The university, however, insists he was never its student.

The fresh disclaimer by the university follows a public notice in a national daily, which sought to discredit an earlier disclaimer published by the university in two national newspapers last month.

The quarter page advertisement purported tohave emanated from the office of the registrar entitled Re-Disclaimer claimed that the published disclaimer did not emanate from the university and urged the public to discountenance it.

The university, in a reaction, described the advertisement as a forgery designed to confuse the public and re-affirmed its earlier publication that the legislator was never a student of the institution.

Deputy Registrar (Information and Publications) of the university, Mr. Steve Otowo, told journalists that the university stands by the earlier disclaimer.

Senator Ahmad Zanna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Borno Central Senatorial District, in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service yesterday, revealed that the Joint Task Force in Maiduguri was referring to him when they claimed that they arrested a ‘Boko Haram commander’ at a ‘senator’s residence.’ Though he claimed that he knew the supposed ‘Boko Haram commander’ Senator Zanna denied that the arrest was made at his residence. Below are excerpts from the interview:

What do you have to say about the arrest of a Boko Haram commander at a senator’s residence?

The JTF said they arrested the man at a house belonging to someone in the Senate. I am a member of the Senate and I am the only one living on the Dambuwa Road. So, the JTF didn’t arrest the man (Boko Haram commander) in my house. They went to my house and carried their investigations, but they did not come up with anything. Since they did not get anything, they arrested some boys in the house and asked them out. They forced them to sit under the sun. The soldiers started start beating them. They asked them if they knew someone called Shuaibu Bama. The boys told JTF that ‘yes, they knew him.’ One of the boys then led JTF to where that Shuaibu was.

What is your relationship with Shuaibu Bama?

Shuaibu Bama is my nephew.

The man arrested was accused of being a Boko Haram commander and you said you have a relationship with him. Some, more especially those soldiers, are accusing you (politicians) of not cooporating with them and at the same time helping Boko Haram?

What I’m saying is that, for them to say they arrested the man in my house is a lie. And we are not going to hide anybody who we known is a Boko Haram member. They should investigate who the owner of the house where JTF arrested the ‘Boko Haram commander’ and the owner’s connection with the supposed Boko Haram member.

Soldiers said for long they had been trailing him in order to arrest him. Have you had any knowledge about this?

Did I know? It was just yesterday they mentioned this in front of my house. They said they had been after him for long and that they even sat down and had some chat with him some times ago.

Even as Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam has been importing pigs into the state, animals in the popular MakurdiZoological Garden are being starved to death. A lion was reported to have died of starvation in the zoo last week. Sunday Trust gathered that most of the animals kept in the state government-owned zoo located inside […]

Levante speedy striker Obafemi Martins has been named alongside Russia-based compatriots Victor Obinna and Ahmed Musa in Bleacher Report’s World Football’s 50 Fastest Players. The list was drawn from a combination of sprinting ability, acceleration and speed with the ball by the players.

http://www.nairaland.com/realist-kem Our politician who we elected in public places , has looked down on the masses , act inpuinitvely as pleases , recently the cordinating minister of the economic proff okonji iweala gathered civil society group , in her address she said unemployment rate is @ 37 percent , the question is where did she […]

the people of Niger/delta produce and sustains the nations economy,but remains the most under developed, olobiri which was the first place where exploration started has no infrastructure to show for it,and the same situation applies to sisters communities During the yar-adua administration he decided to come to terms with the youths who bear arms in […]